(Headline USA) GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said this weekend that he would hire former President Donald Trump as an “adviser” or “mentor” if elected.
Ramaswamy was asked by NBC’s Chuck Todd why he praised Trump as “the best president of the 21st century” during the first Republican primary debate last Wednesday if he is trying to beat the GOP frontrunner for the nomination.
Ramaswamy did not walk back his comments, but instead doubled down.
“I judge by results,” he told Todd. “That being said, I believe I can take the America First agenda even further than Donald Trump did. I think I will be more effective in uniting this country in the process. I want to build on the foundation that Trump laid.”
Ramaswamy then admitted that he wants to learn from Trump’s experience to better battle the deep state.
“Frankly, I will invite him as an adviser and a mentor. I don’t wanna relearn the same lessons. I want to pick up where he left off in taking on the administrative state,” he explained.
Trump, himself, has admitted that one of the biggest failures of his first term as president was appointing disloyal advisors and staffers who actively sought to sabotage his efforts.
Ramaswamy is one of the only GOP primary candidates that Trump has praised.
After the debate—from which Ramaswamy appeared to emerge as the night’s biggest winner—the former president gave credit to the 38-year-old political neophyte for quickly raising his hand when asked if he would support Trump for the 2024 general election, even if Trump is convicted in any of the four indictments he faces.
“This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you Vivek!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Todd also asked Ramaswamy about a comment he made in his book published last year about how “no one likes a sore loser.”
“Are you referring to Donald Trump,” Todd asked.
“I referred in that chapter both to Stacey Abrams and to Donald Trump,” Ramaswamy replied. “I stand by everything I said.”
Ramaswamy has been steadily rising in the polls over the past several weeks, with several polls placing him in third place behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and a few even placing him in second place, before DeSantis.
